


Override Two: Missing Moments

by zombiesbecrazy



Series: Override Two [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Civilian gets involved in things over his head, Court of Owls, Dick Grayson is a Talon, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Secret Identity Fail, platonic bro cuddling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2019-10-18 00:27:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17570801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombiesbecrazy/pseuds/zombiesbecrazy
Summary: Missing Moments from Override Two: Family Protocol





	1. Talon and Robin

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be where I put all the "missing moment" type scenes I have from [Override Two: Family Protocol](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16201535/chapters/37864988). They are going to bounce around, but I'll let you know where they fit into the original story.
> 
> If you haven't read Override Two, this is probably not going to make a lot (or any) sense, but feel free to read anyways; I'm not the boss of you :)
> 
> This chapter takes place during Chapter 10 - Damian tries to get Talon out of the Court.

Damian slipped through the inner door undetected and sealed the entrance behind him.

The tunnel had been short and direct and he had only had to deal with three booby trapped tiles. Two had appeared to be rigged to probably activate the paralytic gas that Damian was all too familiar with and the third had been similar to something that he had seen in one of the Indiana Jones movies where blades were waiting to try and impale him from either wall. Fortunately, he had spotted them before they could be triggered because of West’s last recon mission; he would have to remember to thank Flash next time they saw one another as he had to admit that he wouldn’t have seen them if he hadn’t known to look for them.

The maze before him did not concern Damian in the slightest. From what he understood, it was nowhere near as elaborate as the one that Father had gotten himself trapped in at the previous headquarters of the Court, but even if it were, Damian was confident that he would have been able to master it. As it were though, it was not much of an issue because of his intended destination. He had entered through the most southern entrance and all he needed to do was try to keep north as best as he could. A child could do this. With the movement of the walls, and the fact that Talon’s nest was stationary, it was as if the layout were designed for him to end up exactly where he needed to be. If there were an intruder, they would be directed to Talon for him to deal with which would be less than ideal, but for Damian, it was perfect.

Room after room he ran, quick to make his way through the maze, until he finally entered into an atrium of sorts, with an inner room at the center of it. Scanning the perimeter, there were at least ten other doorways leading into the location.

This was it. It had to be.

He peeked through the doorway of the inner sanctum and saw what he was searching for. The room was dark and surprisingly cozy with its dark blue walls and draped tapestries. There was a couch with heaps of blankets and pillows and the walls were lined with packed bookshelves. Damian let out of small sigh of relief when he saw Grayson on the right side of the room. He was sitting in a chair, reading a book. It seemed almost normal and was something that Damian had seen countless of times before, except he had never seen Grayson do it while being chained to said chair.

“Gray Son,” he called out.

Grayson’s head snapped up from his book and he dropped it to the floor. “Robin? What are you doing here?” He looked at Damian and then around the room, apparently thoroughly bewildered, like things weren’t adding up in his head. “Robin is in Talon’s nest,” said Grayson, sounding very confused with the entire situation, like he couldn’t believe that it was real. Damian couldn’t blame him. For close to two years he couldn’t have many visitors to his nest other than the Grandmaster, and he certainly wouldn’t expect Robin to just show up undetected.

“I’m rescuing you.” Damian strode quickly over to Grayson and set to work picking the lock on the manacle that was binding his ankle.  It seemed to have barbs that were digging into Grayson’s skin, deterring him from removing the device, but it didn’t look like he had even tried to break loose. Perhaps he had tried in the past with unsatisfactory results. The thought made Damian bristle. “Do they normally keep you tied up?”

Grayson continued to stare at Damian disbelievingly, but shook his head. “No. Talon is usually free. The Grandmaster wanted to make sure that Talon remained in his nest for the duration of the Feast. Talon was just going to read until Grandmaster returned.”

Grayson hissed as Damian picked the lock, barbs digging into his ankle, but stayed still while Damian worked. Less than a minute after he started, the lock sprung free and Grayson’s ankle was released. He stood and rotated it a few times, testing out the range. Damian watched and tried not to react as he watched the wounds on his leg heal before his eyes and when he was satisfied that Grayson was fine, he started to walk back to the door that lead to the atrium. “Let’s go.”

Grayson jogged quickly in front of Damian and blocked his path, spreading his arms wide to avoid Damian going around him. “But it is not safe for Robin to be in the Court of Owls compound.”

Despite the seriousness of Grayson’s tone and his claim, Damian had to bite back a laugh. The logic was sound, but it was too little too late; he was already there. “All the more reason for us to leave quickly. Come on.” He sidestepped around him, and continued his route.

“Wait.” Damian turned and saw that Grayson hadn’t moved, but he had tilted his head as he thought more about what was happening. About why Robin would be in his nest. The reasons why were limited. “It is happening now?” Damian nodded impatiently and Talon sucked in a sharp breath. “Batman is here?”

“Everyone is here. We have to go. Now.”

“Family is here?”

Damian was growing more frustrated by the second because they really didn’t have the time for this. He only really had one job for this entire mission and it was crucial to their success. If, by chance, things went poorly in the Bright Room, Damian was determined to get his part of this right. He grabbed Grayson’s wrist tight and tugged him towards the door. “Yes. They are in the Bright Room causing havoc during the Feast while I get you out.”

“Family… is with the Grandmaster?” The words fumbled out of Grayson’s mouth, apparently still confused about what was happening. Or maybe he was not confused but wanted to make sure that he understood fully, not wanting to misinterpret what was happening. Damian sighed. It was to be expected. Richard would have wanted to know the rest of the family’s status if he were the one being extracted, and Talon was even more single track minded.

“Assuming he is in the Bright Room, then yes.” With that confirmation, Grayson’s whole demeanor changed and Damian suddenly found himself to be the one that was being dragged. They exited the room as Damian had been trying to do, but instead of going straight Grayson turned left and started heading north.

Damian tried to pull him backwards, but Grayson was stronger and didn’t even seem to notice Damian struggling against him. “Gray Son! That is the wrong direction!” He felt foolish as the words left his lips. Grayson knew this compound better than anyone. He was going in the right direction for what he wanted, but they clearly had clashing opinions of where they should be going.

“Override Two requires that Talon must keep Family safe,” said Talon, looking straight ahead towards a door. “Family is in the Bright Room. Talon must go there.”

“No, come with me. It is part of the plan that you come with me and leave while they are fighting.”

“Override Two.” He pushed the door open and dragged Damian through with him without hesitation. “Bright Room.”

“Damn it, Gray Son.” He tried to grab the doorframe to stop them, and he managed it for a few seconds, but Grayson just kept pulling and his fingers didn’t hold out long.

“Talon must keep Family safe. Override Two.” repeated Grayson for what now felt like the thirtieth time.

He had to think of a way to get Grayson out; to get the attention turned back on him and redirect Grayson’s focus. “But what about me? I’m Family. If I go in there, I won’t be safe. I’m not safe in the Court of Owls.” He released Grayson’s wrist, and started walking backwards through the door, trying to coax him back towards the direction of the south exit. “Come with me. We can both be safe if you come with me.”

Grayson stopped short at that and he turned to stare at Damian as he considered the words. His face was impassive, but Damian could tell that he was trying to sort out his conflicting thoughts. Override Two seemed to dictate a lot of his actions, but what would happen when it was pulled in two directions? He couldn’t do both.

Close to a minute passed before Grayson finally made up his mind and reached out to grab Damian’s arm. “Robin must come with Talon to the Bright Room. Talon will keep him safe. Talon will keep everyone safe.”

Damian quickly stepped out of reach. “Richard! We have to leave.”

Grayson scowled, though Damian wasn’t sure if it was at the use of the name or because Damian wasn’t doing what he wanted. He turned and examined the room that they were in. It was plain and without furniture, with only old pictures of the Gotham skylines on the wall. “Fine. Robin will be safe enough to wait here. Do not move from this room. Not safe in other rooms for Robin. Talon will return for you.”

“You’re just going to leave me here?” Damian voice cracked as he protested. That was not a move that he had predicted Grayson to make.

Raising his arms helplessly, Grayson tilted his head in the direction of the door. “Or Robin comes with Talon to the Bright Room. Talon will not force him.” Grayson then grinned and ran through the door without a second thought.

It was an absolutely infuriating grin. Grayson _was_ forcing Damian to follow, and he knew it because there is no way that he would let Grayson run off into danger by himself. Damian sighed, resigned to the fact that he had been outwitted, and chased Grayson through the door. It became an odd mixture of tag and hide and seek, chasing Grayson through the maze. He seemed to be timing things exactly so that Damian would have just enough time to follow, but cutting it close enough that the walls changed directly after him. Damian had to run at top speed just to keep Grayson in view.

He burst through a door and was greeted by Grayson catching him, slowing him down in his arms so that he didn’t run straight into a wall. Damian took a few seconds to take in their surroundings while he caught his breath. They were standing in a long but narrow hall that was lined with candles and directly in front of them was an ornate wooden door with two crumped guards on either side. Once his breathing slowed, Damian could hear screaming and smashing behind the door.

This had to be it. The Bright Room.

Grayson was frowning at the door, listening to the commotion on the other side as well. He flexed his fingers several times, and shook his wrists out. 

“Are you sure about this, Gray Son? We still have time to leave.” It was a last ditch attempt, but Damian knew there was no way he could get him to leave now, when they were so close to the fight. To their family. Family.

“No. Family is in there. Talon needs to keep them safe.” Grayson grasped the door handles and turned his head to Damian. “Ready, Robin?”

Damian shook his head in disagreement, but pulled his katana from his back and held it firming in his hand. Father was going to be so irritated when he saw them. Damian was going to blame this plan deviation all on Grayson the first chance he got. “Obviously. Someone needs to watch your back if you insist on being this stubbornly foolish.”

Grayson grinned at him again and pulled open the doors.


	2. Barbara, Jake and Talon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you seriously going to sit here and pretend that you aren’t Batgirl?”
> 
> Or three times that Jake has to deal with Bat/Talon drama and has no idea what is going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy late Valentine's day!
> 
> Takes place during the six month period that is Chapter 12, but references Chapter 6 and 13 as well. This may be a little shippy for some, but absolutely nothing graphic beyond some chase kisses. A little Barbara/Jake/Dick triangle mess that they try to sort out.

“And that’s the story that you are going with? You fell down the stairs at work and broke your wrist?”

Barbara looked up from the pot of spaghetti that she was stirring on the stove and furrowed her eyebrows. “Hairline fracture. It’s the truth so… yes?”

“Alright.” Jake turned his attention back to chopping up the cucumber to add to the salad he was making. “Whatever.” He gathered up the pieces and tossed them into the bowl in front him. He added in some dressing and tossed the salad a little more aggressively than it necessarily needed. He was debating adding tomatoes to the bigger salad instead of just into his own bowl. That would show her. If she was going to keep lying to him, he was going to put her least favourite topping in her salad. All is fair in domestic warfare, after all.

She deserved those tomatoes. Maybe just one slice. One tomato slice of spite.

In the end, he didn’t put the tomatoes in. He wasn’t that petty. He was still irritated though.

He heard the sound of Barbara straining the spaghetti into the sink and set the pot on the counter. The scrape of the fork as she dished out the pasta onto their plates. He ignored her and took the salad to the table, poured them each a glass of red wine and sat in his usual place.

It hadn’t bothered him much at first, but they had been together seven months now and he was just getting tired of the lies. One lie in particular, especially because he knew the truth.

Barbara joined him at the table and placed the spaghetti in front of him. She took a bite, followed by a sip of wine before she spoke. “You’re mad at me.”

“Very astute of you, Barbara.” Jake stabbed a meatball with his fork angrily because sometimes when you’re upset as an adult you can still act like your four.

“Care to fill me in on why?”

“I would, but you seem to be determined to stick to your web of lies, so I’m not sure it’s worth it.”

“I haven’t lied to you.”

He had to stop himself from gritting his teeth. She was lying about lying. “You told me that you were working late last Thursday night.” It was something small, but led into the bigger issue.

“I was working.”

“Maybe, but you let me assume that it was at GCE.” He watched her expression and had to admit that her poker face was pretty good because she didn’t bat an eye. He played with his pasta a little bit, pushing it around the plate while he made up his mind. These lies were going to end tonight one way or another, he just had to take the plunge. “You could just tell me when you are out Batgirl-ing. If anything it might put my mind at ease because at least then I’d know what you were doing. It’s worse when I let my imagination just run wild.” Every night in his head she was being tortured by the Joker. Gassed by Scarecrow. Locked in some sort of Riddler death maze.

She must have been inhaling because she coughed hard, choking on the salad she had just swallowed. Taking a sip of wine, she cleared her throat and the coughing subsided. “What?”

“Are you seriously going to sit here and pretend that you aren’t Batgirl?”

“Yes, because it’s ridiculous.” She smiled at him, and it only made him want to dig in his heels harder. He knew he was right. “I can’t be Batgirl, Jake. I was paralyzed for three years.”

“Three years in which Batgirl was suspiciously absent,” Jake pointed out. Barbara opened her mouth, but he cut her off, anticipating her answer. “Or original Batgirl was at least. Barbara. You don’t have to lie to me.”

“I’m not Batgirl.”

“Fine.” He went back to eating his dinner, but he could feel her eyes still on him. “Your hair is pretty distinctive and your mask is terrible, by the way. Anyone who knows you would spot it instantly,” he said between bites.

“My dad has never…” She trailed off and then looked up at him slowly across the table and he didn’t even try to cover up the _I told you so_ expression he knew was on his face. “Fuck.”

“Would you rather keep pretending that I don’t know or can we talk about this like adults?”

Now it was her turn to play with her food, just to avoid looking at him. “We’ll need more wine.”

“Let’s finish eating and then we’ll chat in the living room. With all the wine.”

The rest of their meal passed mostly in a tense silence, occasionally talking about mundane things, but neither were able to ignore what the topic after dinner was going to be. After finishing, Jake gathered up the plates to take into the kitchen to tidy up while Barbara picked out another bottle of wine from the cabinet before settling down on the couch to wait. Jake took far longer filling the dishwasher than he needed to, trying to sort out his thoughts. He didn’t care that she was Batgirl. He thought it was pretty cool to be honest, though he was concerned about her out there because Gotham was full of danger at every turn and she was knowingly throwing herself into it. It was the lies that bothered him, even if he did understand them deep down. She obviously couldn’t get tell everyone she knew that she was one of the city’s most recognizable vigilantes, but he had thought that he was different and that they were building towards something more. How invested did he have to be before she would open up to him?

Or was she never planning on it? Was he on the wrong page about what this was between them or where it was going?

Turning the dishwasher on, he left the kitchen and settled down on the couch beside her, blanket over their legs and shoulders brushing against each other, and she handed him an oversized glass of merlot. She held up her glass to him, and he clinked it carefully before they both took a sip. There was an awkward silence between them that felt like jello was enveloping the room. Jake was pondering how to start when Barbara just did it for him. “What do you think you know?”

“You were Batgirl. You got shot and another person, I assume it was Black Bat, took over Batgirl for you. After your implant surgery, you started again.” Barbara nodded and Jake took another sip of his wine. “Bruce Wayne is Batman.”

“Bruce Wayne is an affable idiot. Guy couldn’t find his way out of polo match if his life depended on it. He’s not Batman.”

Jake laughed with his whole body, but Barbara stayed straight faced. It took him a few moments to regain his composure. “Sweetie, everyone in the city knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman.” She raised an eyebrow at him, possibly trying to intimidate him, but it almost made him start laughing again. “Everyone knows, but it’s just common courtesy for Gothamites to just pretend that we don’t.” Her expression didn’t change and Jake just shrugged. “Even if I didn’t know that, I know that you dated Dick Grayson before he disappeared and he was Nightwing.”

“Hmm.”

“All the Robin’s wore those little masks. It is really just a matter of replacing the middle part of their faces. It’s not that hard when you know who you are looking for.”

Barbara looked away from him and down at the blanket spread across them, picking at the loose strands of yarn that were fraying. “What gave me away?” she asked quietly.

“Besides the fact that I know what my girlfriend looks like even if she is wearing a flimsy mask?” He pick up her wrist in the air cast gently. He could see bruises between the straps blooming across her skin. “Things like this, actually. You’d show up and have some sort of random injury that coincided with some sort of nefarious thing going on overnight.”

“That could be coincidence. You don’t know that I didn’t fall down the stairs.”

“I literally saw a video on Twitter this morning of you getting that wrist crunched by a Riddler goon.”

Barbara’s fingers entwined with his and she leaned closer to him and he found himself relaxing. They were talking about this. They could do this. “I can neither confirm nor deny the identities of anyone else.”

“You don’t need to and I’m not asking you to. I understand the need for discretion.” And he did. These people weren’t just the heroes that they saw on TV. They were people with lives outside the capes and loved ones. Jake grinned when he realised that he fell into that now, a loved one of one of these amazingly brave and skilled people. “I will say that I think that it’s freaking amazing that I’m dating a superhero.”

“It’s a very exclusive club. And I do mean that there is literally a club, but its spouses and very long term partners only. They won’t let you in yet.”

His heart soared at her use of the word _yet_. Maybe they were on the same page. “Seriously?”

“Superman’s wife started it.”

“Superman's married? Wait, do you know Superman?” Barbara smiled and Jake squealed in a very unmanly way and he didn’t care at all in the slightest. “Oh my god, you know Superman. You are _so_ cool.”

They chatted for hours, Barbara opening up about her time as Batgirl the first time, training with Batman and Robin. Jake was shocked to hear that what he knew of her Joker attack was actually the truth, that she was attacked as Barbara Gordon and not as a vigilante, and squeezed her hand a little bit tighter. She told him about her time as Oracle and then what going back to being Batgirl was like. It was a lot to take in but he was gobbling up everything about it. Finally that last wall in their relationship had been broken down and she was being fully herself with him.

There was just one thing that he had left to ask, but it was going to be awkward no matter how he put it.

“Since we are talking about things that you’ve been hiding from me…” He might as well jump in the deep end of this pool. “Dick Grayson.”

“What about him?” He felt Barbara shift beside him, trying to avoid his gaze without actually moving.

“You guys used to date and you’ve said several times that you’re close friends.”

“All of those things are true. I haven’t hid that.”

“Yeah, but where is he? Or what happened? No one has seen him in two years. He’s a minor celebrity and he’s seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth. There are Twitter accounts devoted to solving the mystery of where he disappeared to. You don’t seem concerned about it so I assume you know where he is.”

“Things with Dick are complicated.”

“And I know that you said you won’t talk about anyone else’s identities, but he disappeared the around the same time as Nightwing,” he clarified before being asked to, “The first Nightwing, not the other Robin that is Nightwing now.”

“That is also complicated.”

“Is he alive?”

“Yes. And no.”

“As a doctor it is my professional opinion that isn’t usually a condition that can go two ways.”

“You’d be surprised,” she chuckled grimly. She took a sip of wine as she considered his question. Finally, she asked, “Do you know anything about dissociative identity disorder?”

Surprised at the turn of the conversation, Jake wracked his brain for anything. “I know a little from my psych rotation as an intern. And case studies on Harvey Dent in psych classes.” Gotham U courses were different than other colleges. “I’m not an expert by any means.”

“It’s sort of like that.” Barbara traced her fingers around the glass. “I know I said that I wouldn’t confirm identities, but Dick was Nightwing. Something very bad went down and to save the rest of us, he surrendered himself to a group called the Court of Owls. They took him, killed, resurrected and changed him, like on a molecular level changed him, and turned him into an assassin. Something went wrong though. The transformation didn’t work for them the way that is was supposed to. He’s Talon as well as Dick now. DID is the closest I can think of as an analogy but even that isn’t quite right.”

“Weren’t they the secret society that GCPD arrested a couple months ago? Big fire in the east end?”

“Yes. We took down the Court and rescued Talon. Dick. He’s home now. Things are getting better, but… he’ll never be exactly like he was before. He’s an undead immortal with a symbiotic co-pilot, but he’s okay.”

Jake’s brain felt a bit overloaded. The way that she said that so casually was just a glimpse into what she dealt with on a regular basis. Undead people. Aliens on speed dial. Her world was insane. His world by association now too. He laughed because what else was he going to do? He did the only thing he could think of and leaned in to kiss her softly. After he pulled back, Barbara smiled. “You’re taking all of this pretty well.”

“It’s a lot, but it helps that I’ve known you were Batgirl for months.” A dark thought suddenly took over. The question fell out of his mouth before he could filter it to sound better. “If the thing with Dick never happened, would we be here now?”

“I honestly don’t know. We were always on a bit of a pendulum.” There was a beat and then, “Are you jealous?”

“A little bit. I’m now a little worried that if he was somehow better tomorrow that you’d leave.” It was stupid and he knew it, but he needed to be honest with all that she had told him tonight.

“I’m insulted that you think I’m so shallow.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he sighed, but he was unsure about how to express himself properly without sound like… well, a dick for lack of a better word. His insecurity was ugly, but present and taunting him. “I just don’t want you to be settling for me if you want someone else you can’t have.” How could he live up to a ghost, especially one that was still in her life?

“Hey. I’m not.” Her voice was firm, yet gentle. “I’m not going to diminish me and Dick. I love him too, but we never got our timing right. No matter what happened, there was a good chance that we would never get it right.” She tightened her grip on his. “You and I? The timing was perfect and what we’ve built is amazing. If something happened tomorrow and Dick was 100% cured, I’d still be with you. Not because I have to be, but because I want to be. You make me happy. I love you. This.”

He nodded and shifted so that he could wrap his arms around her better. “Can I meet him?” He knew that the request strange, but he felt it was something that he needed to do. 

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” She sounded thoughtful, but not dismissive. “I’m not saying no, I’m just saying not yet. None of us are ready for that right now.” He got the impression that she wasn’t just talking about the two of them and Dick. “He hasn’t been free long and he hasn’t met anyone new outside Family yet. I’m not sure how he’ll react. Talon can be unpredictable.”

“Family?” It sounded like an absolute noun.

“That’s a whole other thing. I’ll talk to him and see what he thinks before we get into that.” She pulled back a little to look at Jake better. Her eyes narrowed a fraction. “Are you sure? It would be a big step, relationship wise, because it wouldn’t be just him. Because of the situation, it would be everyone. It would have to be a permanent thing. You can’t be half in with something like this.”

“Permanent. Like a proposal?”

“Sort of. It’s definitely a lifetime commitment.”

“I’ve been thinking about it. Proposing. Asking you to marry me.” Barbara’s eyes widened in surprised at his confession.  “Not yet, obviously. I know it’s a little soon, but it’s been on my mind.”

“And?”

“I couldn’t figure out how I would be able to do it if you didn’t trust me enough to tell me that you were Batgirl.”

“And now?”

“I’m still thinking about it. Maybe a little harder now. We should probably talk about it a little more before we make any decisions.”

“I’d like that. Talking about it.” Jake was prepared to keep cuddling on the couch, maybe putting on a movie to relax now that everything was on the table and the Bat conversation was over, but Barbara untangled herself from the blanket and stood. “I need to do something.”

He followed as she walked into her bedroom and picked up the plush Batgirl and Robin dolls off her bed. She looked at them in her hands before kissing the head of the Robin doll and then placing them carefully in her window frame. “What are you doing?” He wrapped his arms around her and followed her gaze to the toys visible through the window. She reached up and held his arm gently, leaning back into the hug. He squeezed her a little tighter. Something told him that she needed it.

“Keeping a promise to an old friend.”

 

* * *

 

The creak of the balcony door opening made Jake jerk awake. He must have fallen asleep while reading and waiting for Barbara to come home. He climbed out of bed and shuffled into the living room to see how her night went and if she had any injuries that he should look at, flicking the light switch on as he walked through the door.

There was a loud hiss as the lights came on and he reflexively flipped them off again. In the dim light coming through the windows from the city, he could see the outline of a man, holding something large in his arms.

“Jake?” The voice was low and rough and unfamiliar, but this wasn’t the first time that a Bat related person had ended up in their living room since Jake had moved into the Clocktower. He was pretty sure that he had met almost everyone now, barring one.

Which meant that the unknown voice was Dick and he had broken into the apartment.

“Sorry about the light,” Jake turned on a table lamp beside the couch and a softer glow filled the room instead of the harsh overhead lights. The man was dressed in black and gold and from what Jake had seen from pictures that Barbara had, this was Dick Grayson. Or it used to be; Jake was still a little fuzzy on those details. Barbara had tried to explain the different between Talon and Dick to him, and he was pretty sure that this was Talon, but he really had no reference point. In either case he was holding Barbara in his arms, who appear to be unconscious. Jake tried to remain calm at the sight, forcing himself not to rush forward because if it was Talon, he didn’t think that would necessarily go well. “Talon, right?” Talon looked down at Barbara and then back to Jake, and nodded slowly, blinking as his golden eyes adjusted to the light. He tightened his grip around her. Jake debated stepping closer before he decided to stay put. “Is she alright?”

“Toxin. Was given antidote,” whispered Talon roughly. “Batgirl is fine. Or will be fine when she wakes up. She is sleeping.”

“Okay. Thank you for bringing her home.” Jake wasn’t sure what to do, but it didn’t matter because Talon decided to ignore him and walked through the living room like he was perfectly at home there and into the bedroom. Jake followed slowly and at a distance, watching from the doorway as Talon placed Barbara gently in the bed. He carefully removed her cowl, gloves and boots and covered her with the duvet. He grabbed the stuffed Batgirl and Robin toys off her dresser and placed them under her arms and then hesitated before bending down and laying a light kiss to her forehead. He pulled back and strode out of the room quickly, passing Jake by without a word. Jake entered the bedroom and did a quick overview of her stats just to be sure she was alright; checking her breathing and her heart rate. He’d text Tim to check if he needed to do anything more, but for now he’d let her sleep whatever it was off.

When he walked back into the living room Talon was standing with his arms crossed, looking at some of the framed pictures on the wall. Jake stood awkwardly, not sure what he was supposed to do next. He had known about Dick and Talon for two months, but they hadn’t met. Barbara had said that Dick wasn’t ready yet so when he emerged from the bedroom he hadn’t really expected Talon to still be there.

It was weird, the two of them standing in Barbara’s living room, _his_ living room. Jake was still getting used to the idea that he lived in the Clocktower with her now. He still had things in boxes, but this was it. He lived here. He was a part of this life now.

“Talon keeps Family safe,” said Talon suddenly, interrupting Jakes rambling thoughts. He was still staring at the photos, paused in front of one with Barbara and Dick at a fair or something like it. She was holding cotton candy and they were both laughing.

“I understand,” he said slowly, trying to think of the best way to work through these murky waters.  “Barbara told me.”

“Batgirl says that Jake makes her happy. That he is a part of her family.” Jake didn’t know how to respond to that, but Talon nodded without input from him. “Good. She deserves to be happy.”

“She makes me happy too,” he said, before he blurted out. “I love her.” He’s not sure why he said it, but there it was, out there.

“Talon understands.” Talon turned away from the photos and now faced Jake head on. “If Batgirl has told Jake about Talon, Jake knows that Talon has killed people.” He said is so casually, so matter of fact. Jake swallowed and tried to avoid fidgeting nervously. He didn’t know where to look. Was this a predator thing? Was eye contact bad? He decided looking away was rude so he looked into the strange golden eyes. Talon sighed, almost wistfully. “So many people. Dead at Talon’s hands.”

“I do.” He did know that. Barbara had told him about some of what had happened to Dick, about what Talon was and it sounded terrible, even if he was sure it was the cliff notes version.

“Talon will not kill Jake.”

“Um.” Jake was certain that he was happy about that, but how do you reply to such a statement. “Thank you?”

“Unless he hurts Batgirl,” amended Talon. “If Jake hurts Batgirl, Talon will kill him.” He licked his lips and eyed Jake from the top of his head to his feet and back up. “Slowly. Painfully.” He grinned, and Jake felt like he was trapped in some sort of horror movie. He had seen Joker toxin victims in the ER with less menacing smiles. “And he will enjoy it.”

“I’m not going to hurt her.”

“Jake better not if he likes his skin attached to his body,” said Talon dryly. “Talon knows six different ways to skin a human alive for maximum pain. Does Jake know how long a human can survive without skin?” Jake shook his head slowly, at a complete loss for words. Talon lifted an eyebrow slowly. “Talon does. It is longer than someone would expect.”

Over the years, Jake had become pretty attached to having his skin intact and was in no rush to find himself in a position where it would be otherwise. “I’m not going to hurt her, Talon. I want to spend my life with her. Marry her.” Something on Talon’s face flickered, but Jake couldn’t place it. “Not yet, but someday.” He swallowed, and then added on “But only if it is okay with you.”

“Talon’s opinion on that does not matter.”

“It really does. It matters to me and she hasn’t said it, but I know it matters to Barbara too.”

“Talon does not know Jake. Neither does Dick.” Talon’s eyes narrowed and he observed Jake with a tilt to his head. “Come with Batgirl to the manor soon. Not as a surprise. Talon does not like being startled. Get to know Dick. Dick wants to know Jake but he’s… nervous? No words.” Talon rolled his eyes and made a strange strangled noise. Was it a laugh? “Now Dick is mad at Talon for saying he’s nervous.”

“Pretty sure I’m more nervous than either of you.”

“Perhaps.” Talon was walking towards the balcony, effectively ending the conversation, but he glanced back towards the bedroom door to where Barbara was sleeping peacefully before he went outside. “Perhaps not.”

 

* * *

 

“So, Jake. This is…” Barbara looked carefully at the man standing in front of them, gloved hand extended outwards, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. A smile crept across her face. “Dick. Dick, this is Jake.”

“Hi,” said Jake trying to appear calm, but he could feel his hand shaking on its own accord in Dick’s grip. Meeting the Commissioner felt no where near as terrifying as this.

“Thanks for coming.” Dick smiled kindly at Jake, with no murderous intent in sight. Much better than the last smile that he had seen on that face at very least. “Sorry. About last time,” said Dick, obviously thinking of their last encounter as well. “Talon… I… was rude.”

Barbara eyed Jake suspiciously. “You didn’t say anything about him being rude.”

“It was nothing.”

Dick raised his eyebrows, eyes darting between the two of them. “We threatened… to skin you alive.”

“You definitely didn’t tell me that,” said Barbara and she pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily. Jake was used to that _‘why am I dealing with idiots?’_ reaction from her. From looking at Dick, so was he.

“It was Talon, not Dick,” said Jake as if that was a reason that he hadn’t mentioned it.

“You give… me… too much credit. It was… both.” Dick grimaced. “Sorry. I’m anxious. Words are a little… slow… and jumbled up in my head. It’s worse when… we’re stressed.”

“Sorry. Maybe this wasn’t a great idea. You shouldn’t be stressed out in your own home. I can leave and we can try again another time if you want.”

“No. Its better here than anywhere else. I wanted… to meet you.” He rubbed his eyes under his glasses. “I’m fine. We’re fine. Talon’s just trying to… mother hen me in our… head.”

“Which the rest of us find ironic after all the mother henning you’ve done over the years,” teased Barbara. Dick growled at her in response which instinctively made Jake want to take a step back, but Barbara just laughed. If she wasn’t worried, he didn’t have to be worried. He could do this.

“You don’t have to wear those. The sunglasses.” Dick lowered his hands looked at him questioningly and Jake shrugged in response. “I mean, if you are just wearing them to make me feel comfortable, you don’t have to. I’ve already seen them. Your eyes.”

“Are you sure? They are… unsettling.”

“I think they’re neat.” He was telling the truth. Sure, the golden irises were shocking at first, but the colour was interesting and as a doctor, he was fascinated with the implications. “You have night vision. That is awesome.”

Removing the glasses, Dick cast his eyes down to stare at them in his hands. “It’s one of the many… perks… of being a zombie.”

Jake laughed before he could stop himself. Was he allowed to laugh at zombie jokes made by someone who wasn’t technically alive? Was he allowed to make zombie jokes or would Dick be offended by him crossing some sort of line? Dick looked up with a smile on his face and golden eyes twinkling, which made Jake relax a bit. 

“You are making me rethink every zombie movie I’ve ever seen.”

Dick nodded in agreement; zombie references were apparently encouraged or at least appreciated by him. “I’ve been watching a lot of movies lately because not sleeping creates a lot of spare time and I don’t remember most of them from before. Honestly, I don’t think night vision would make a difference. They are usually tracking based on smell.” It was interesting, to see the change in Dick already with the switch in topic. Now that they were talking about something mundane and not the weird relationship triangle that they were in, the words were flowing steadily and he was more animated in a few sentences than Jake had seen in the entire previous meeting with Talon. He was seeing the real Dick Grayson. “I had forgotten about the fast zombies in 28 Days Later until the other day. Night vision has nothing on them.”

“Those suckers gave me nightmares first time I saw that movie. Sequel too,” said Jake and Dick nodded enthusiastically in agreement. “I know speedsters and the thought of them wanted to eat my flesh… ugh. I couldn’t hang out with Kid Flash for weeks after watching that movie the first time. When he found out, he kept sneaking up on me and making zombie noises in my ear. Scared me every time.” Barbara raised an eyebrow at the story and Dick’s face lit up. “I didn’t remember that before.” He grinned warmly at Jake. “Thanks!”

“But I didn’t do anything.”

“Maybe not on purpose, but thank you anyway.”

With that, the ice was broken. For the next few hours the three of them sat and talked anything that came to mind, conversation flowing naturally between them. Once and a while Dick’s speech would halt or slow down, or Barbara was notice something that Jake wasn’t privy to and either switched the direction of topic or took Dick’s hand in hers and gently squeezed it until whatever it was that was stressing Dick subsided.

The three of them were laughing at Tim’s latest hobby of going through old Mythbusters episodes and trying to disprove their findings (not because he thought that they were wrong, just to see if he could) and the results were ending in small explosions more than they weren’t, when Dick suddenly sat up ramrod straight and his eyes glazed over. It wasn’t the first time that he had lost focus that afternoon, but this was different than just getting distracted or getting lost in the conversation.

He blinked a few times before turning to Barbara. “Babs? Can you give us a minute, please? Jake and… us? Alone?”

“You okay?” She was eyeing him carefully and for the first time since they arrived, Jake was finding himself a little concerned because she didn’t look as confident as before. Something had shifted but he didn’t know what.

“We’re fine.” Dick took in a slow shuddering breath. “Batgirl. Listen. Please.” Jake noted the switch in cadence and name. Talon, not Dick anymore. “Override Two.” Now Barbara opened her mouth to argue with whatever it was that that meant, and Jake saw all telltale signs of her gearing up for a fight, but Talon shook his head firmly and locked his eyes on hers. “No. It is alright. Jake fits. There was a… click? It is good.” They stared at each other for a few beats and a grin started to bloom on Talon’s face. Barbara chuckled before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Talon’s forehead. “Thank you, Talon.” Talon nodded minutely, squeezing his eyes tight as her lips brushed over his forehead, a quiet purr coming from his chest at the contact.

Barbara had tears in her eyes as she patted Jake’s knee reassuringly, before she stood and walked out of the room without a word to him, leaving the two of them alone. Jake opened his mouth to ask what was happening but Talon held up his hand, eyes still closed. “Give us… a… moment.” Jake nodded slightly, a little confused as to what was going on. He knew that Barbara wouldn’t have left him here by himself with Dick if it wasn’t safe, but he felt a little uneasy.

Taking a few deep breaths, the posture of the man beside him loosened up again before he began to speak in measured and controlled words, but it was Dick back with him on the couch. “I have a friend who has a rather unique take on love and relationships. He thinks that there can be connection between people that is a sort of tether, a lightning rod, that can help ground someone to reality. To the world. Someone that they can bounce back to and that can pull them out of the darkness, no matter what. It can be romantic or platonic love, but it is something strong and unshakable. That is what my Family is to me; what Barbara is to me. Talon and I want to keep them safe at all costs, but they are essential to my entire existence. They are why I am here.” Dick opened his eyes and stared directly at him. Jake just nodded, but wasn’t entirely sure he understood what Dick was trying to explain. “Does Barbara know you want to… marry… her?”

“We’ve talked about it. Nothing concrete and I haven’t proposed, but I’d like to. I want to spend my life with her.”

“You love her and you make her happy. It is all that I… we… ever wanted for her, even before this whole… thing.” The words were coming out slowly again and Dick was stumbling over them, but Jake was convinced that this was coming from him, and not Talon, even if it was a struggle to do so. Dick was remaining in control. “You said… that it mattered what Talon… what we… thought.” Jake nodded again, and something about it made Dick look pleased, if not a little sad. “I think that it will take a very special person to stand with that phenomenal woman. She is smart and strong and stubborn beyond belief. Her partner needs to be able to support her when times are tough. Stand beside her when things are good. Stand behind her when it is her time to shine. Stand up to her when she is wrong and needs to hear it. And the reverse must be said. She needs the same. I think you are that person. If you were to spend the rest of your lives together, create a family, we would support that.” If it were possible for Dick to look delighted and heartbroken all at the same moment, the expression on his face was exactly that. “Barbara’s family is our Family. You are Family now too.”

Barbara had explained the concept of Family and how it related to Dick. Talon had it programmed into him that he couldn’t hurt Family. That he needed to protect it and keep it safe. The thought that Jake was in this elite group… it was a lot to take in. This was Dick and Talon giving him their blessing. “Thank you. Both of you. It means a lot to hear that.” There was a lump growing in his throat that wouldn’t go away. He hadn’t expected any of this or to get this emotional. “Can I hug you? I really feel like I need to hug you.” Dick hesitated before nodding slowly and both men stood, Jake pulling Dick into a tight hug immediately.

Was it strange to be hugging this man he had only really met this afternoon? Maybe. He was Family now though. It felt right. They had an understanding and a connection.

“Talon was right though. Last time.” said Dick lowly as they stepped apart. Jake must have looked confused because Dick laughed ominously. “If you do hurt her, I will kill you. Without hesitation. I wouldn’t even give him the chance to do it.”

“Understood. I’ll do my best. I love Barbara, Dick, but I think I might like having skin even more. It's pretty motivating.”

“It’s debatable though, right?”

“Very close decision. It goes Skin, Babs, and then everything else.”

“Good choice. Welcome to the Family, Jake.”


	3. Jason and Talon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time it really was all Bruce’s fault. One stupid, dumbass decision that he made without telling anyone else first and had led to Jason and Cass scouring Gotham on a miserable, storming night, looking for someone who they knew wouldn’t be found if he didn’t want them to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during Chapter 12, after Bruce's misguided attempt to take Talon into the Cave.

Jason stared up at the roof of his apartment building and tried to decide which would be easier; going through the front door and hoping that no one noticed that Red Hood was climbing the stairs to the fifth floor or grappling up to the roof and shimmying through the non functional vent shaft that he had modified to drop him directly into his kitchen. He knew that he should take the roof, he _always_ took the roof, but his body was drained and even the thought of climbing even one more roof made him groan and his shoulders ache.

Screw it. He was taking the stairs and if the Fates were at least looking the other way (because they were rarely kind) he wouldn’t meet anyone as he headed up. He was pretty sure all his neighbours knew who he was anyways but they either didn’t care or considered Red Hood to be their own free private security guard so they just ignored it.  He zipped up his jacket to cover the bat sigil, stuffed his helmet into a bag and headed in.

Three quarters of the way up somewhere a Fate was laughing at him because Jason was stumbling over his own feet on the stairs, cursing his decision because he would already be inside by now if he had just gone to the roof. All he wanted was to take a shower, put on some dry clothes, and get at least five hours of sleep before he hit the streets searching again, trying to clean up Bruce’s mess. Again.

This time it really was all Bruce’s fault. One stupid, dumbass decision that he made without telling anyone else first and had led to Jason and Cass scouring Gotham on a miserable, storming night, looking for someone who they knew wouldn’t be found if he didn’t want them to.

Stupid Bruce and his terrible idea to test Override One at the Manor without telling anyone first.  Because of course he could handle trying to bring Talon into the Cave by himself. Idiot.

To absolutely no one’s surprise, it had apparently gone south insanely fast. Bruce hadn’t told him the whole story, not much beyond the fact that 'Talon is missing', really, but Tim had filled him in on the details over the comms during his search of the remains of the Court’s compound while Cass and Jason took to the rooftops. Earlier that afternoon Bruce had tried to take Dick into the Cave and Talon had tried to slice his own throat with a letter opener in response to crossing the threshold. Got pretty damn close too, if Tim’s detached voice was any indication, but Jason knew in the back of his mind that Talon’s death wasn’t very likely to happen as easy as that. More of a warning, probably, but it had done its job. Bruce had somehow been able to disarm and restrain him for a long time, but at the first chance that he had gotten, Talon had fled the grounds and headed into Gotham. Or at least they thought he was headed to Gotham. Damn guy could be anywhere, really.

Reaching the top floor landing, Jason pulled out his keys, fumbling with the lock because it always stuck unless he jiggled it just the right way and his brain was just done for the night for him to remember to do it properly. He entered his dark apartment and froze as the door swung closed behind him.

Something felt off. A tingling that ran down his spine and settled in the pit of his stomach. It was the feeling that you got when you were walking by yourself in a deserted alley but you were convinced you were being watched, so you walked a little faster to just get back to where you could see other people. The feeling that makes you double check that your doors are locked and there is no one hiding in the shower or under the bed when you are home alone.  Something in Jason’s primal instincts were screaming at him that there was something that he needed to be on guard for. That something was going to leap out at him from the shadows the second he looked away. It was a feeling that he didn’t get very often, but always took seriously when it did because usually shit was about to go down.

Locking the door with one hand, he carefully unholstered his right thigh gun at the same time, disguising the snap of the latch with the sound of the lock and methodically stared to search his apartment. Entry – clear. Living Room – clear. Kitchen – clear, but it did look like the roof vent had been used for entry, verifying that he wasn’t alone. He flicked the safety off his Glock because anyone who entered through the vent knew that he was Red Hood and this was probably going to end in blood. Hopefully not his.

The first bedroom, the one that he used as storage for his gear, was clear too; everything in its careful place and untouched, which Jason considered to be a little odd. An intruder into the Red Hood’s home surely would take something from here or set up a trap, but it didn’t look like anyone had even entered. His weapons lined the walls in their racks and there was a case of grenades sitting right beside the door and none of them had been moved.

His neighbours really should be a little more concerned about him being in their building.

Outside the last door, the one the lead into his bedroom, Jason took a deep steadying breath and gripped his gun a little tighter before he rounded the door, muscles taut and ready to spring into fight mode. It was the only room left.

It was friend, not foe, who met him on the other side.

Talon was sitting in the dark, curled up in a ball in the middle of Jason’s bed, knees under his chin, arms wrapped taut around his legs. His eyes were squeezed tight and he was shaking slightly, clothes absolutely drenched and soaking into the bedding. As glad as Jason was to see him, he was more than a little bit annoyed that he had spent his entire night searching just to stumble upon him in his own house. Of course things were always in the last place you looked, because why would you keep looking after you found them? The irony in this was more that he had given up on looking and Talon had just fallen into his lap.

Jason wasn’t sure if he had been noticed, so he cleared his throat and gently whispered “Hey.” Talon’s eyes opened and he looked at Jason with a blank expression. “You okay?” Talon nodded a little bit, but it was forced and didn’t look at all convincing. Jason pulled out a hoodie and sweatpants out of the dresser and held them out. “Up, Talon. Go take a shower. You’ll feel better if you warm up a bit and dry off. I’ll change the sheets and get some more blankets and you can get back in the bed after that, alright?” Talon stared at him unblinking in silence for a full minute before climbing off the bed slowly and started edging around the room carefully with his back to the walls, getting closer to Jason warily before he was just close enough to reach out slowly and snatch the clothes from his hands. Jason held up his hands, trying to show that he was unarmed until he remembered that he wasn’t, his forgotten gun still in his own hand. He quickly put the safety back on and placed it on the dresser, along with the one from his left thigh and a knife from his boot and put his hands back up. Talon didn’t say anything, but Jason thought he saw the tension in his body relax a fraction as his eyes examined Jason. Finally Talon nodded again and then backed into the ensuite bathroom and closed the door between them. Jason had the concern that he was going to try and escape through the window, but when he heard the shower start he relaxed a bit. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Tim.

_J: Call off the cavalry. Got him._

The response was immediate.

_T: He okay?_

Jason snorted, because the answer to that question was just a barrel of monkeys running around with blow torches.

_J: Is he ever? He’s at my place. He’s jumpy and not talking. I think he needs a breather. Keep Bruce away for us? And everyone?_

_T: Of course. Let me know if you need anything. Thanks, Jason._

_J: Will keep you posted._

He silenced his phone and then set to work at cleaning up the bed, stripping the wet sheets and blankets and replacing them with fresh ones, stacking some extra blankets on the end of the bed, knowing that Talon had a weird fascination with having all of the blankets possible wrapped around him whenever he was stationary.

Bed made and with Talon’s shower still running, Jason grabbed some clothes for himself and headed to the other bathroom to clean the grime of Gotham off him from the night. The water felt luxurious, a little too warm and pressure hitting in all the right spots on his aching muscles, but he didn’t have the time to waste under the stream for longer than necessary. Clean and dressed, he detoured into the kitchen to make some tea and in a split second decision, he poured two cups of chai instead of one and took them with him back into the bedroom.

Talon was sitting up against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him, absolutely swimming in the too big clothing that Jason had given him, but he was clean and dry and settled under the heap of blankets. Jason handed him one of the cups and climbed onto the bed beside him, mirroring his position. Talon tried to hand him the cup back once he was settled but blinked in confusion when he realised that Jason had a cup of his own.

“I know you can’t drink it, but… it would be rude to make one for me and not for you.” Jason shrugged, not knowing how to explain his rationale. “I don’t know. Maybe it was stupid, but I thought you might like, I don’t know… holding it or something? It’s warm. Dick always liked the smell of chai.” Talon stared at the cup and then back up at Jason, who was now the awkward one because this was a silly thing to have done. “Okay, if it’s weird you can give it back to me. I don’t know what I was th…” Jason reached for the cup, but Talon tightened his hold, pulled it closer to his chest and shook his head firmly.

“No,” Talon’s voice cracked and Jason’s felt his stomach drop. His voice reminded him of that night at the top of the Watchtower, when Talon had tried to get Jason to kill him for Damian getting hurt. Talon’s knuckles were white around the cup. “Thank you,” he whispered before tilting his head down to breath in the smell of the tea deeply.

Sitting in the quiet with Dick hadn’t been a thing that had happened very often before Talon, mainly because Dick usually wasn’t quiet, liking the fill the space around him with talking and sound, but Talon seemed to like the opposite, at least on the bad days. Jason knew that with a little prodding, he could probably get something out of him. If he truly didn’t want to talk about it at all, he wouldn’t have gone anywhere that he could have been found. It was worth a shot, anyway. “Not that I’m not glad to see you, but I didn’t expect you here.” If he had, he would have just waited for him.

“Talon agreed… with Batman. To try…the Cave. But Talon… tried… to hurt… Dick.” The words were halted and Talon seemed to have to almost choke them out. Yeah, they weren’t going to see Dick for a while.  Talon was keeping that locked down hard.

“You didn’t. The Court did.”

“Batman… says… The Court… is gone.”

“They are but it’s still their fault.”

“Talon hates this. All of this,” growled Talon, but it was directed more at himself than anything. He squeezed his eyes tight again and ground his teeth while he tried to pull himself together, and Jason waited. One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes of nothing. Jason wasn’t sure what to do. His gut told him that Dick would want a hug or a reassuring pat on the shoulder or something, but Talon preferred to be the initiator with physical touching and he was giving very distinct ‘do not engage’ vibes. Jason didn’t want to be accidentally stabbed because there was no way that Talon wasn’t armed. Talon’s eyes opened and he turned to look at Jason. “Override One told Talon to self-destruct for going in the Cave but Override Two would not let Talon kill Dick so he failed in both,” he finally whispered. “Talon’s head. It hurts.”

“You’ll be okay. We’ll figure something out.”

“Talon wanted to be somewhere where he felt safe. Not safe at the manor right now.”

“And this was your first choice?”

“Went to the Clocktower first.” Talon huffed and shook his head slowly. “Batgirl was not home, but Jake was there. Talon did not go inside.”

Jason winced, because yeah, that would have probably been bad. Jake was pretty chill so far about this whole vigilante lifestyle thing that had been sprung on him, but this wasn’t the best circumstances for the two of them to meet. “You really aren’t having a good night, are you?”

“Talon has had worst nights,” said Talon in a dead tone and Jason shook his head in disbelief.

“That doesn’t mean that this one doesn’t still suck. Anything I can do to help?”

Talon ignored him and stared out the window instead, pulling the blankets tighter around himself. Another ten minutes of silence lapse between them and Jason sensed the conversation was over. It happened sometimes; Talon losing track of a conversation. It wasn’t as if he disassociated, it was more like he didn’t realise how much time had passed between the question and his response. Jason took a long drag from his cup before setting it down on his bedside bookshelf. The shelves were filled with what he considered to be his comfort books; ones that he had read countless times and would surely read countless more. These were the books that he read to keep the nightmares at bay or when he felt like he needed a mental hug when he was at home by himself. A quick look back to Talon, only to see that he was still staring out the window, and Jason reached down and pulled out one of the well worn volumes.

If he could share his actual blankets with Talon, he could share his metaphorical ones too.

It was his English copy of The Neverending Story. He had it in the original German as well, but this copy was his favourite. This was the one that Alfred had given him for his first Christmas in the Manor and he had read it cover to cover that day while sitting in the living room with Bruce and Dick, who had called a truce for the day and were quietly reading books of their own, which was the closest thing that the family had as a Christmas tradition. Just by holding the book, Jason could smell hints of pine and gingerbread and was always met with a general warm feeling in his body. It had been a good day.

It was one of the first things that he had taken from the Manor when he had returned.

Taking another sip of his cooling tea, Jason cleared his throat and started to read out loud, voice scarcely above a whisper. A chapter went by before Talon moved again, and even then it was just to turn his head, like his had just noticed that Jason was still there and was speaking. Another went by before he put his cup on the nightstand and started to lean his body towards Jason, just a little bit so that their shoulders touched. It wasn’t much longer before there was shuffling in the bed and Jason felt a head drop onto his shoulder. He chanced a look down and saw Talon curled up beside him, watching the pages as Jason read and turned the pages.

He reached the end of the sixth chapter, but before he could turn the page, he was interrupted by his companion. “Talon does not want to go back to the Manor.” Talon’s voice was low and Jason probably would have missed it if he didn’t feel Talon move beside him. “Not yet.”

Marking the page, Jason closed the book slowly, giving Talon his full attention. “You can stay here as long as you need to.”

“Can Talon stay in here?”

Jason blinked in confusion because hadn’t he just said that Talon could stay? He digested the question a little more and realization dawned on him. “You mean in my bed?”

“Talon does not want to be alone.”

It was far from the first time that Jason had shared a bed with one of his brothers or any of the Outlaws, and while this wasn’t Dick running the show at the moment, Talon couldn’t hurt him even if he wanted to, so Jason shrugged. “Alright. You can’t hog the covers though.”

“Why not? Blankets are warm. Talon likes them”

“The person who doesn’t sleep doesn’t get all the blankets.”

“Share?”

“Whatever floats your boat,” said Jason through a yawn. The night was finally catching up to him and now that he wasn’t reading as a distraction, exhaustion was swiftly overtaking him. “Just let me sleep, yeah? And keep your icy feet to yourself.”

“Yes.” Talon hesitantly held out a hand. “Can Talon keep reading while Red Hood sleeps? It was nice. Talon likes the book.”

Jason handed the book over without another word, flicked off the bedside lamp and was probably asleep before he had fully rolled over, but not before he heard Talon’s voice quietly telling him more of the story of Bastian and his adventures.

He couldn’t solve Talon’s problems, but if a place to hide and a book to read would help even a little bit, it was more than worth having to share his blankets with his brother, who was bound to steal them no matter what he promised. 

As long as Talon felt safe, even for a moment, that was all that mattered.


	4. Tim and Talon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim was running. 
> 
> Stumbling was a better word for it but he was managing to stay upright instead of face planting into the street so he was going to take it as a win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for nxttime's birthday. Have some Tim :)
> 
> Takes place between Chapters 5-6. Just a little interlude moment.

Tim was running.

Stumbling was a better word for it but he was managing to stay upright instead of face planting into the street so he was going to take it as a win. He finally turned a corner and saw a fire escape that he could reach easily without jumping and scrambled up to the rooftop where he was finally able to pause, take a breath and maybe just _think_ of a getaway plan. Only seconds passed before he heard the ladder start to rattle and sign that he hadn’t lost his chasers and they still just right behind him.

“How are these guys so fast?” he grumbled before taking off again. What he would give to be able to grapple away right now, up and out of their reach for good, but luck wasn’t going his way so far tonight so why should that change now? His primary grapple's trigger had jammed up and his back up had been shot out of his hand, in two pieces, and now he was being forced to run away with a horde of drug dealers on his tail while having to hold a tight grip onto his side.

Because said horde drug dealers may have lightly stabbed him. Just a little bit.

And by ‘horde’ it was actually only four men, but Tim knew he was prone to exaggeration after sharp metal had been rammed into his torso. He could be petty like that.

“You can’t run forever, bird boy!” shouted one of the men behind him. Bird boy. That’s just plain unimaginative at this point in Tim's career. Why did they always think they were the first one's to say that?

“You’re not the boss of me!” Tim yelled back as he flung himself over the other side of the building, but even as the words left his mouth he knew that he was running out of time, or at the very least, stamina to stay out of these guys clutches for two long. Patrolling alone was always a risk, but patrolling alone while everyone else was out of town was downright dumb. He was competent, yes, but everyone needed some sort of backup system in place, just in case. _Especially_  once you were a little bit stabbed.

He landed on a patio awning and then dropped to the ground before taking off again, but calling it _running_ now would be even more generous than it had been before. He was in Old Town and there were plenty of alleys and nooks and crannies to hide in, but only if he was able to get far enough ahead so they didn’t see where he hid and that wasn’t looking like a promising scenario. And it would be even worse to hide and be trapped if they saw him.

He made his choice, turning into a dark alley, and that’s when he finally did trip and crash to the ground, maybe tripping over something, but very possibly his own feet in pain and exhaustion. Pain shot through his side and the goons were on him in an instant, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and then shoving him into the grimy wall behind them.

“How’d you learn to parkour anyway? I hate it when the bad guys know how to do cool stuff.” Tim was gasping, trying to get enough air in while trying to ignore the pain in his side, but all good Robin's could be chatty through pain. It was a skill.

“America Ninja Warrior,” quipped one of the men. “It inspired us.”

“Great.” Tim was trapped. Caught, injured and outnumbered by some ninja wannabes who, despite their inexperience, were enthusiastic and it was enough to make him feel a little overwhelmed, especially knowing that no help was coming. He had one move left, but he was hesitant to use it. His Nightwing suit was designed with an electric shock pulse, big enough to knock everyone touching him at the time unconscious but it was a one shot deal and he was concerned that it was actually a little overkill and hated having to use it. He was always worried about it accidentally killing someone, no matter the intention or likelihood of it. He didn’t like messing with electricity like that, but he was out of options. All four were grabbing onto him it was the right moment to...

Wait. Where was Idiot Number Four?

There had been four. Tim knew this. He was absolutely positive because before he had got on the wrong end of a switch blade he had been calling them Eeny, Meany, Miny and Moe in his head. Where was Eeny?

He had been in the alley, Tim was sure of it, but he had somehow vanished. Great. Not only were they ninja impersonators but Eeny was possibly a teleporting meta as well.

“Where’d Dave go?” asked one of the guys suddenly. Speak of the devil, as long as the devil’s name was Eeny. Or Dave. Whatever. The other three looked around in confusion, which honestly made Tim feel a little bit better about not knowing either. If the dude could teleport, he hadn’t shared that fact with his buddies, which made Tim think that the dude hadn't teleported at all.

“What is…” Moe trailed off before pointing up. “Up there!”

All of them cast their eyes up and saw a dark future hanging from the street lamp with a busted bulb. There was Eeny, strung up by his ankles and dangling upside down, unconscious with his mouth duct taped shut for good measure.

“The little bat kid has a friend,” hissed Meany.

Part of Tim wanted to argue about the 'little bat kid' comment because he was 18 and an adult, damn it, but at the same time he did have to concede that he was the shortest of the Robin's now; stupid Damian and his stupid tall person genes. Besides, being called little wasn’t really the point, was it? A friend. He had mystery back up, apparently. He didn’t know who it could be though, because everyone was out of town.

Everyone except the one person that he couldn’t call on the comms even if he wanted to.  

Tim scanned the rooftops, trying to see if he could spot Talon. Short of a brand new vigilante taking to the streets, it was the only person it could possibly be.

Meany, Miny and Moe let go of Tim and started to back up slowly, eyes flitting everywhere around the alley, trying to spot the person who silently took out their buddy unnoticed, but Tim knew it was hopeless. He knew what he was looking for and couldn’t see Talon. These guys didn’t have a chance.

But Talon didn't appear.

Instead, two short whistles rang out and before Tim realized it, his bo staff was out and was charging the men, attacking now that their attention was diverted. Within seconds the tables had completely turned and he had knocked all of them to the ground and out like a light. Standing over the men, he clutched his side and drew in a sharp breath, muscles throbbing underneath, thinking about what had just happened. He hadn’t responded to the whistle code like that in years; he hadn’t even heard it used since before Bruce got lost in time. The code that Dick had taught him. The code that all the Robin’s shared together that meant _go for it, you got this, I have your back_. It was Pavlovian, even after all this time, to react at its sound. No one whistled quite like Dick. Or Talon now.

Tim tied up the unconscious men and heard feet land quietly on the ground behind him. He turned to see the black and gold cloaked figure, who was looking at the pile of disarmed men dispassionately.

Talon’s gold eyes snapped up to meet Tim’s. “Is Nightwing alright?”

“Did you know that knives are sharp?”

“Talon is aware. He uses them frequently.”

“Right.” Tim wondered how many blades Talon currently had on his person. He could see eight, but he was sure that there were more. He held out his fist to Talon. “Thanks for the assist.”

Talon stared at it for a second before bumping it back lightly. “Nightwing could have taken all four had he not been injured. Talon simply made it an even fight by removing one.”

“Maybe. They did manage to get the upper hand before I got stabbed. I mean, that _is_ how I got stabbed.”

“The wound. Is Nightwing alright?” repeated Talon.

“Yeah, I…” Tim paused, thinking about his empty apartment and the empty Cave before changing his mind. “Actually, I could use a little help if you’ve got the time. Can you stitch me up? It’s at an awkward angle and Penny-One is away. I’d go see Leslie, but I don’t want to both her with something this small.”

Talon’s head cocked to one side, as he stared at Tim’s side. The suit was dark, but it looked like Talon was able to see the blood. Or smell it. Whatever it was, he looked like he was at a loss. “Talon doesn’t remember.”

“That’s okay. I can walk you through it. It isn’t hard.” Tim climbed up and sat on a relatively clean looking dumpster, then pulled some wipes, topical anesthetic, bandages and sutures from one of his belts and lifted up the hem of his top to give them both an unexposed view. Talon clicked his tongue as he looked at the wound. “None of that. It’s not that bad,” said Tim, because in the grant scheme of knife wounds he’d had, this one was pretty tame. Tim cleaned the cut as best he could with the wipes and then rubbed the numbing agent around the gash before handling Talon the suture kit. “Thread the needle, and start sewing.”

Talon’s eyes flashed back and forth between the kit and Tim. “Those are not very good instructions.”

“I have a feeling your hands will remember what to do once you start. Like the grapple. Dick knew how to do it. It’s just probably a little lost.” Talon hesitated and Tim slowly put a hand on his shoulder. “You can do this. I’m asking you to. It won’t hurt me.” Talon stared at him for a few moments before finally nodding and setting to work.

It wasn’t perfect, but Tim was right and Talon seemed to get better as it as he went. At the sixth stitch, he tied off like a natural and grinned in satisfaction. “That did not hurt?”

“Nope. We’ll have you stitching us up like a pro again in no time.”

“Talon would prefer if Nightwing and the others didn’t give him a reason to do that.”

“Yeah, well, occupational hazard.” He casually observed Talon who was now sitting on the dumpster beside him. For someone who didn’t change or age, he somehow managed to look run down. He looked like Dick had after he was lost in a case for too long. Or if he had some a long stint undercover and was at his wits end, but was pretending not to bed. “How are you doing?”

Talon shrugged, which was enough of an answer in itself. He was coping, but it was what it was. “Talon is Talon. Talon is fine.”

“What were you doing tonight?”

“Nightwing was alone. Talon was watching.”

That wasn’t exactly an answer either, which probably meant that Talon was on a Mission of some sort and didn’t want to talk about, which meant that Tim probably didn’t want to hear about it. “I don’t need you to do that. Babysit me like that. I’m fine.”

“Nightwing was not fine. He was stabbed.”

“Only a little.” Tim bumped his shoulder against Talon, who gave a small grin and purred in response. “Thank you. Maybe I’ll get to return the favour someday. I owe you one. I probably owe you several.”

“There is no scoreboard. Just Family.”

“Dick use to say that. Or something close enough.”

“Hmm.” Talon seemed about to say something else when suddenly rose to his feet again and then froze on the spot, turning his head east, apparently listening to something that Tim couldn’t hear. He shook himself loose from unseen restraints and looked back. “Talon must go. Go home and go to bed. Being stabbed once is enough for one night.”

“Dick used to say that too.”

“Then it must be true.” Talon spun and climbed up the wall with ease, disappearing over the top in seconds. Tim slowly climbed off the dumpster and started to walk back out of the alley, ready to head home, when he saw Talon’s head pop back over the edge of the rooftop. “Have a good night, Nightwing.” There was a smile on his face, one that Tim missed more than almost anything, but was still glad gone to shine on occasion, even if it wasn’t the same. It was Dick’s smile, the one they got after being away for a while, when Dick knew they were home and safe. It made him forget that his brother was gone, just for a moment. It was enough to remember what they were trying to get back.

“You too, brother.” Tim waved at Talon, who disappeared back over the roof into the darkness. “Goodnight, Dick.”

 


End file.
